Alabama's Culture of Corruption

The culture of corruption that permeates Alabama's justice system continues to make national news.

Of course, Alabama's justice system (as in all states) actually is two systems--one based on federal courts and one based on state courts. Alabama's state courts handle far more cases than its federal courts, and this holds true across the country.

But the nation's attention is focused on Alabama federal courts, where sentencing is taking place in the corruption case of former governor Don Siegelman and former HealthSouth executive Richard Scrushy.

Reporters are focusing on the case because it is the latest example of corruption in the U.S. Justice Department, a scandal that began with the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys earlier this year. A growing body of evidence suggests that the Siegelman/Scrushy prosecution was politically motivated and driven by Alabama Republican operative Bill Canary, with assistance from White House political strategist Karl Rove. The Alabama case presents the strongest evidence to date that the politicization of the U.S. Justice Department has direct links to the White House.

The Los Angeles Times reports that even prominent Republicans, such as former Arizona attorney general Grant Woods, smell something fishy going on in Alabama.

And The New York Times reports that, according to a prominent law professor, the prosecution's case against Siegelman was so shaky it had to "adopt the garbage-can theory of RICO," a reference to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.

The Siegelman case has national implications, and its certainly fresh news. But for some of us who have firsthand experience with Alabama judges, the idea of corruption in the state's courts is no surprise at all. After all, Alabama's state courts were shaped into Republican playgrounds in the 1990s by none other than Karl Rove and Bill Canary, who now are at the heart of alleged wrongdoing in the Siegelman prosecution.

Alabama's state courts have been infected with a virulent strain of radical conservative politicization for more than 10 years now. And this blog will show you how that harms regular citizens and cheats taxpayers.

We will continue to keep our eyes on the stink coming from Alabama's federal courts. But the Legal Schnauzer is personally acquainted with the stink that comes from Alabama's state courts. (And you don't need an especially strong nose to smell it; heck, even a human can easily detect this odor!)

Our story will focus on state courts. And remember, that's where the vast majority of legal activity in this country takes place.